With the advent of the video cassette recorder and the availability of low-priced, compact video cameras, the use of video cassettes for a variety of purposes, including educational and training purposes, has become widespread. Consumer familiarity with the equipment, and the ease of operation of the equipment has fueled this interest. Thus, there has been created a demand for training tapes which are produced in relatively low volumes, since the number of people involved and having this special interest is, and will always be, relatively low. For example, one might desire a training tape for automotive mechanics, illustrating the manner of overhauling the Lamborghini fuel injection system. Given the low number of Lamborghini servicing organizations, the demand for such a training tape would be relatively low in comparison to the demand for other video cassettes for other purposes.
Nevertheless, within the industry, it is common practice to contract the reproduction of tape cassettes where more than a few copies of the tape is required. These organizations are known as "loaders", who will manufacture or have manufactured for them the cassette shells, and who will load the shells with the tape and then assemble the shells into a finished cassette, applying to the cassette a time stamp indicating the length of the tape, and perhaps other distinguishing or marketing indicia.
Conventionally, the time stamp is added to the cassette by the "loaders" by an in-process hot foil stamping process. This involves feeding the cassettes one at a time, in sequence, along a continuously moving conveyor belt from a loading station to a hot foil stamping press, momentarily stopping the conveyor and stamping a single cassette under pressure of a hot foil stamping press. Next, the stamped cassette is released allowing it to be conveyed to a loading station as the next cassette in sequence is brought under the hot foil stamping press.
Prior to the subject invention, no further identification or marketing indicia was placed in process on any other panel of the cassette by hot foil stamping or any similar process. Rather, it has been the industry practice to apply to the dust door component of the cassette, the hot foil stamp and thereafter assemble the cassette and further process the assembled cassette as described above. Because of the extra handling, increased inventory requirements and added expense, this process has only been used where the number of cassettes to be produced are for a particular customer requiring cassettes in large volumes.
The hot foil stamping technique described above is a manufacturing process whereby transfer of material from a foil onto a substrate is achieved by the application of heat and pressure to the foil and plastic. The transfer is generally in the form of a print, design or marketing indicia, all of which is determined by the particular shape of the die affecting the transfer.
In an actual deposition of the foil indicia, the die is pressed against the substrate on which the indicia is required, sandwiching the foil between the substrate and the die, effecting material transfer from the foil carriage to the substrate. When the transfer of material to the substrate occurs, it is necessary that the die affecting transfer and the foil be in contact with that part of the substrate which must be printed or decorated. Any lack of contact will normally result in an incomplete deposit of material and, as such, a poor quality indicia on the substrate. Thus, proper clamping or stabilization of a video cassette in the above-described process is necessary to effectuate a high quality transfer of indicia onto a video cassette tape.